A-hikin' we will go

Andrew 3 months

Just can't get enough...

 He is still SUCH a great baby. All babies should be this fun, happy and enjoyable for their parents:)

J update

I haven't posted about J for a while because the situation is difficult to think about, but also because we have been crazy busy. As in, I might have 20 minutes a day where I don't have something on my plate, max. We learned at the last court date that he no longer has any family member interested in taking care of him.

 

We really love this kid. And that is why we have decided to ask that they move him to a new home that is willing to adopt him. Currently he is not technically available for adoption, but we feel that is coming soon and we really feel that his needs would be better met in another family. It is without a doubt the hardest decision I've ever had to make, but we feel it's a good one. At first I felt a lot of guilt and sadness. After much prayer we do have a deep seated peace about it but there is still sadness. He is such a great kid; I wish he never had to come into foster care. But that was not in my control and that was not my part of the story. My part of the story was helping a scared, broken, shell of a child start to put the pieces of his life back together and show him what stability and love really mean. He has come such a long way since he's been with us and I feel so great about being able to send him on to a forever family as a blessing and an asset. There will be hard times ahead as we say goodbye to this little guy. Please pray that we would continue to have peace and trust in God's plan for his life!

Summer Bucket List 2015: Outdoor Adventure Expo

I made a bucket list of things I want to do before this summer is over because I'm always saying I want to do certain things but they never happen unless I just put them on the calendar! A few of the things on our list are: Reds game, Zoo, Washington Park, outdoor pool at the Y, hot date night, and the Kid's Expo.

 

This morning we got all the kids ready, packed them into the car, explained to them that this was supposed to be a fun day and we are going to stop complaining about who pushed/touched/said something mean to whoever, and drove over to Coney Island for the Outdoor Adventure Expo for kids. As we were walking in (after parking, nursing Andrew, putting sunscreen on the other 4 and loading a couple kids up in the double stroller) I thought to myself, 'I'm really not sure this was worth it...' But I'm really glad we went because, if nothing else, we got out of the house! 

 

 The kids all agreed that their favorite part was going in the raft.

 Yes that's a dead fish she is holding. We did some serious hand washing after this trip.

Fun times. Lesson for next year: show up when they open so you get a jump on the thousands of daycare kids.